Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 13-47
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Published on Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
Associated Press
COLUMBUS: Police say hundreds of people in five states are victims of identity theft after someone got their Social Security numbers from a municipal court Web site.
Someone fed random numbers into the Franklin County Municipal Court Web site, hoping to find someone with one of the numbers. Once the thief made a connection, the person's name, address, age and other information was used to obtain credit cards and open bank accounts.
The Web site contains personal information for thousands of people charged with misdemeanors.
The victims, from Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, might not realize their identities were stolen, Worthington police detective Ted Paxton said.
The suburban police department turned the information over to the Secret Service because it investigates identity theft and because the case included so many victims, Paxton said.
Municipal Court Clerk Lori Tyack said Friday the thefts are so widespread that police don't fully know the scope yet.
Worthington police have seized the records and computers of two people, who have implicated others, said Sgt. John Slaughter.
The investigation began when a 22-year-old Worthington woman reported unauthorized purchases on her credit card.
The Municipal Court Web site has allowed public searches of court records since 2001 and generates more than 16,000 hits per day.
After getting the Social Security numbers, the suspects would use that information to obtain an online credit report, Tyack said.
The suspects would then figure out what credit cards an individual had, contact the companies to report a stolen card, provide a new address and receive new cards, she said.
The court has shut down the function that allows searches by Social Security number or driver's license and is working on a secure way to provide that function to police, lawyers, background check companies and others.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
